Relief Society: Do You Feel Inadequate?

by Miriam Caldwell | More from this Blogger

14 Dec 2006 10:27 PM

One of the hardest things about Relief Society is that you may compare yourself to other women. When this happens most people come up feeling short. It is too easy to become caught up in what you are not doing that you become overwhelmed in your day-to-day life. As members of the church we each know that there is always something more that we can do. There is always something we can improve on.

While it is important to continue to work towards improvement, it is important to realize that this shouldn't be our entire focus. In 2 Nephi 28:30 it reads:

"For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have."

While we do need to continue to improve, all we need to do is take the next step forward. We are not expected to become suddenly perfect overnight. If you are struggling because you are thinking of all the things that you are not accomplishing in your family, in your calling, or in your personal relationship with the Savior, take a moment to consider all the things you are doing.

If you do feel that you need to make some changes, write them down. Then work on them just one at a time. If you only work on one at time, you will not feel as overwhelmed. You can also feel better, because you are working on improving yourself. It doesn't matter that you are not going to wake up tomorrow absolutely perfect. You are not expected to.

Remember as you admire the work that the sisters around you accomplish, remind yourself that you do not know their personal struggles. The brave face they wear to church may be hiding things that they need to work on or personal struggles. We are all walking along the same path, but not one of us is in the same spot. It benefits no one to make comparisons.

If continuing to do all that you are doing seems absolutely overwhelming, sit down and look on what you can eliminate. Make a list of the tasks, which seem difficult to you. Sit down and pray, and then begin to cut back. As you do this prayerfully, you will be able to continue the ones that matter the most and eliminate the rest. No matter what it is important to remember that Heavenly Father loves you.

Related Articles:

Judging Others Five Ways to Nurture Your Spirit

Finding Balance in Your Life

Learn more about Miriam Caldwell

Miriam is a SAHM mom of three children. She has a daughter who is seven, and two sons, four and two. She loves being a parent and spending time with her children.

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Nola Redd (7081) 01 Jan 2007 10:37 AM

Great article! One of my favorite books to read when I feel 'attacked' by inadequacy is Stephen Covey's "Believing Christ". It talks about comparing yourself to others, or trying to do 'too much', and how we need to not only believe in Christ but actually BELIEVE Him when He says He wants to be our Savior. Great book.

Miriam Caldwell (8030) 01 Jan 2007 07:42 PM

I really like "A Quiet Heart" by Patricia Holland. This is an excellent book on the topic!